The 10 Most Awkward Celebrity Interviews

Things got awkward during Billy Bob Thornton's interview with Canadian Broadcasting Company's Q.YouTube screencapMost celebrities are pretty well trained in the art of the interview, but every now and then, even the most seasoned pros can lose their cool.

It's not easy to talk about yourself for hours on end, nor is it easy to come up with fun and exciting questions for people who've been through the promotional rigmarole for half their lives.

Sato doesn't speak English, but she still gets major celebrity interviews thrown her way, like this sit-down with Canadian pop phenom Justin Bieber in 2010.

After patiently listening to Sato struggle her way through a few questions she obviously didn't understand, Justin eventually suggested that Sabrina's companion read the questions ("Cause I never understand what you say").

Deleted footage from the interview reveals that at some point, Justin faked being asleep. Then he made a terrible scratch 'n' sniff joke.

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2. Interviewer thinks John Cusack is Kevin Spacey.

There are worse things in the world than being confused with Kevin Spacey. Like being the USC student who confuses John Cusack with Kevin Spacey to his face. Just think how many of these gems have been lost to cutting room floors.

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3. Behind-the-scenes with Selena Gomez on YouTube.

We feel for the young woman tasked with asking teen pop sensation Selena Gomez questions live on YouTube in June 2011. We really do. That's why we're not posting the full 13-minute cut of this extremely stilted interview, which is full of strange, jarring pauses and stuttering.

Instead, just see what happens when someone without a lot of on-air experience thinks they've concluded an interview, but don't know whether the cameras are still rolling.

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4. James Brown answered interview questions in song.

The late, legendary James Brown was fresh out of jail when he sat for this interview in 1988, but he had obviously had enough time to party before he started answering questions.

Ever the performer, Brown responded to many of the interviewer's questions with his own song lyrics... when he wasn't screaming or bragging about his lovemaking skills.

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5. Billy Bob Thornton pretended not to speak English on Q TV.

It's clear 43 seconds into Billy Bob Thorton's interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Company's Q that interviewer Jian Ghomeshi is in for an uncomfortable ride.

Thornton was apparently incensed that Ghomeshi had dared to mention his film career, so he pretended not to speak English.

Who'd have known someone once famous for making out with Angelina Jolie on the red carpet would take himself so seriously?

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6. R. Kelly got personal on BET.

You'd think someone accused of having sex with minors - who, rumor has it, illegally married a 15-year-old when he was 27 - would know better than to pause when asked, "Do you like teenage girls?"

But of course R. Kelly paused and asked for clarification: It's perfectly legal to do the bump 'n grind with 19-year-olds, see.

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7. Paris Hilton has an ego during ABC interview.

While promoting her Oxygen network reality show The World According to Paris, socialite Paris Hilton insisted time and time again that she'd matured since the days of her sex tape and The Simple Life.

She was not mature enough to sit through some uncomfortable questions with ABC's Dan Harris, however, snickering, raising an eyebrow, and leaving the room after he asked her whether she was worried about her moment having passed.

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8. Paula Abdul slurring on Q13 Fox.

It's unclear what, exactly, was affecting Paula Abdul's mood during an appearance on a morning news program, but whatever it was had her slurring her words, shouting, flopping her head around, and gesticulating wildly.

Abdul, who says she's never been drunk, later claimed that she had two different audio feeds in her ears at once, causing some confusion. That doesn't explain the slurring, Paula.

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9. Tracy Morgan bared all on KVIA.

It didn't take long for Tracy Morgan to break into awesome mode during an interview on El Paso's KVIA.

After the 30 Rock star caught his own reflection in a monitor, he went on a rant about the ladies at El Paso strip joint Jaguars ("Somebody gonna get pregnant!"). He then lifted up his shirt, slapped his "loaf of bread" belly ("that's a mating call"), and showed off his topless dancing skills. Hopefully his show sold out that night.

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10. Beck threw a shoe at his interviewer Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth.

Beck wasn't worried about coming across as a weirdo when he sat with Thurston Moore for an interview on MTV's beloved 120 Minutes back in 1994. No: He clearly wanted to embrace his weirdness.

That might explain why, when asked his real name, he took off his boot and threw it at a wall. Thurston's reaction? "Alright."

Watch through the awkward monosyllabic answers to see just how cool Beck delivers his high fives.